engine overheat GMC SIERRA 2004 Owner's Guide

If Steam Is Coming From Your Engine
{CAUTION:
Steam from an overheated engine can burn
you badly, even if you just open the hood. Stay
away from the engine if you see or hear steam
coming from it. Just turn it off and get
everyone away from the vehicle until it cools
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
down. Wait until there is no sign of steam or
coolant before you open the hood.
If you keep driving when your engine is
overheated, the liquids in it can catch ®re. You
or others could be badly burned. Stop your
engine if it overheats, and get out of the
vehicle until the engine is cool.
See ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating
Modeº under
Engine Overheating on page 5-36
for information on driving to a safe place in an
emergency.
Notice:If your engine catches ®re because you
keep driving with no coolant, your vehicle can
be badly damaged. The costly repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. See ªOverheated
Engine Protection Operating Modeº under
Engine
Overheating on page 5-36for information on driving
to a safe place in an emergency.
5-37

If No Steam Is Coming From Your
Engine
An overheat warning, along with a low coolant condition,
can indicate a serious problem. For more information,
see
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-55.
If you get an engine overheat warning and don't have a
low coolant condition, but see or hear no steam, the
problem may not be too serious. Sometimes the engine
can get a little too hot when you:
·Climb a long hill on a hot day.
·Stop after high speed driving.
·Idle for long periods in traffic.
·Tow a trailer. See ªDriving on Gradesº under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-70.
If you get the overheat warning with no sign of steam,
try this for a minute or so:
1. If you have an air conditioner and it's on, turn it off.
2. Turn on your heater to full hot at the highest fan
speed and open the window as necessary.
3. If you're in a traffic jam, shift to NEUTRAL (N);
otherwise, shift to the highest gear while
driving ± AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
Xor
DRIVE (D) for automatic transmissions.If you no longer have the overheat warning, you can
drive. Just to be safe, drive slower for about 10 minutes.
If the warning doesn't come back on, you can drive
normally.
If the warning continues, pull over, stop, and park your
vehicle right away.
If there's still no sign of steam, push down the
accelerator until the engine speed is about twice as fast
as normal idle speed for at least three minutes while
you're parked. If you still have the warning,
turn off the
engine and get everyone out of the vehicleuntil it
cools down. Also, see ªOverheated Engine Protection
Operating Modeº listed previously in this section.
You may decide not to lift the hood but to get service
help right away.
5-38

The coolant level should
be at or above the FULL
COLD mark. If it isn't,
you may have a leak at the
pressure cap or in the
radiator hoses, heater
hoses, radiator, water
pump or somewhere else
in the cooling system.
{CAUTION:
Heater and radiator hoses, and other engine
parts, can be very hot. Do not touch them. If
you do, you can be burned.
Do not run the engine if there is a leak. If you
run the engine, it could lose all coolant. That
could cause an engine ®re, and you could be
burned. Get any leak ®xed before you drive the
vehicle.If there seems to be no leak, start the engine again.
The engine cooling fan speed should increase when idle
speed is doubled by pushing the accelerator pedal
down. If it doesn't, your vehicle needs service. Turn off
the engine.
Notice:Engine damage from running your engine
without coolant is not covered by your warranty. See
ªOverheated Engine Protection Operating Modeº
in the Index for information on driving to a safe
place in an emergency.
Notice:Using coolant other than DEX-COOLžmay
cause premature engine, heater core or radiator
corrosion. In addition, the engine coolant may
require changing sooner, at 30,000 miles (50 000 km)
or 24 months, whichever occurs ®rst. Any repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Always use
DEX-COOL
ž(silicate-free) coolant in your vehicle.
5-40

{CAUTION:
Adding only plain water to your cooling
system can be dangerous. Plain water, or
some other liquid such as alcohol, can boil
before the proper coolant mixture will. Your
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
vehicle's coolant warning system is set for the
proper coolant mixture. With plain water or the
wrong mixture, your engine could get too hot
but you would not get the overheat warning.
Your engine could catch ®re and you or others
could be burned. Use a 50/50 mixture of clean,
drinkable water and a proper coolant.
Notice:In cold weather, water can freeze and crack
the engine, radiator, heater core and other parts.
Use the recommended coolant and the proper
coolant mixture.
{CAUTION:
You can be burned if you spill coolant on hot
engine parts. Coolant contains ethylene glycol
and it will burn if the engine parts are hot
enough. Do not spill coolant on a hot engine.
5-42

Electrical System (cont.)
Fuses and Circuit Breakers.........................5-126
Power Windows and Other Power Options....5-126
Windshield Wiper Fuses.............................5-126
Electronic Transfer Case..................................2-44
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs...................................................3-51
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter.........................................5-23
Battery.......................................................5-52
Check and Service Engine Soon Light............3-49
Coolant......................................................5-33
Coolant Heater............................................2-25
Coolant Temperature Gage...........................3-46
Engine Compartment Overview......................5-12
Exhaust.....................................................2-53
Fan Noise..................................................5-44
Oil .............................................................5-18
Overheating................................................5-36
Starting......................................................2-23
ENGINE COOLANT HOT.................................3-68
Engine Hour Meter Display...............................3-35
Engine Oil Additives........................................5-21
ENGINE OVERHEATED..................................3-68
Entertainment System
Cleaning the Video Screen..........................3-131
DVD Distortion..........................................3-129
Entry Lighting.................................................3-19
Environmental Concerns..................................4-24
Event Data Records (EDR)..............................7-10Exit Lighting...................................................3-19
Express Down Windows..................................2-17
Extended Cab................................................1-58
Extended Cab and Crew Cab...........................1-55
Extender, Safety Belt.......................................1-32
Exterior Lamps...............................................3-14
F
Fifth Wheel and Gooseneck Trailering................4-90
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner......................................5-23
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station
(RDS and XMŸ).......................3-80, 3-92, 3-105
Finding a Station..................3-75, 3-78, 3-90, 3-103
Finish Care..................................................5-120
Finish Damage.............................................5-122
Five-Speed (VORTECŸ 4300 V6 and
4800 V8 Engines)........................................2-31
Five-Speed (VORTECŸ 6000 V8 Engine)...........2-30
Fixed Mast Antenna.......................................3-131
Flash-to-Pass................................................... 3-9
Flat Tire........................................................5-95
Flat Tire, Changing.........................................5-96
Fluid
Automatic Transmission........................5-25, 5-28
Manual Transmission....................................5-31
Power Steering...........................................5-45
6

N
New Vehicle Break-In......................................2-21
Noise Control System, Tampering......................5-62
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts............6-17
O
Odometer......................................................3-35
Off-Road Recovery..........................................4-17
Oil
Engine.......................................................5-18
Pressure Gage............................................3-52
OIL LIFE RESET............................................3-69
OIL PRESSURE LOW.....................................3-69
Older Children, Restraints................................1-33
Online Owner Center........................................ 7-3
OnStar
žPersonal Calling.................................2-65
OnStaržServices............................................2-65
OnStaržSteering Wheel Controls......................2-66
OnStaržSystem.............................................2-64
OnStaržVirtual Advisor....................................2-65
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off
Paved Roads..............................................4-20
Other Warning Devices...................................... 3-6
Outlet Adjustment...................................3-25, 3-32
Outside
Automatic Dimming Mirror.............................2-63
Camper-Type Mirrors....................................2-60
Convex Mirror.............................................2-64Outside (cont.)
Curb View Assist Mirrors..............................2-63
Heated Mirrors............................................2-64
Manual Mirrors............................................2-60
Power Foldaway Mirrors...............................2-62
Power Mirrors.............................................2-61
West Coast-Type Mirrors..............................2-61
Outside Power Camper-Type Mirror...................2-62
Overdrive Disable...........................................3-53
Overdrive Disable
(Allison Transmission
ž) .................................2-29
Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode
(V8 Engines Only).......................................5-36
Owner Checks and Services.............................6-10
Owners, Canadian............................................... ii
Owner's Information........................................7-13
P
Park (P)
Shifting Into................................................2-49
Shifting Out of............................................2-51
Parking
Brake........................................................2-48
Over Things That Burn.................................2-52
Parking on Hills..............................................4-94
Parking Your Vehicle.......................................2-52
Passenger Air Bag Indicator.....................2-57, 2-59
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator...................3-40
11